A FAMILY PROJECT HONORING AN EXCEPTIONAL TERROIR

A FAMILY PROJECT HONORING AN EXCEPTIONAL TERROIR

The wines of Etna are a great heritage and part of our regional identity, on a par with the treasures of our culture, landscape and art. Wine is an ancient cultural legacy and an enormous economic resource that should be safeguarded and valued. Having a strong identity means constructing the foundations for the effective promotion of our production area, our wineries, our wines.

THE REASON BEHIND TENUTA ETNA NORD
Tuscany and Sicily, or Etna, to be precise. Two families united by a shared passion for wine, territory and sustainability have come together to breathe life into a new agricultural venture. The result is Tenuta Etna Nord, which came about when the Cantoni family of Terricciola, which owns Fattoria Fibbiano in the province of Pisa, joined forces with the Di Bella family, who hail from Castiglione di Sicilia and have been custodians of autochthonous vineyards on Etna’s slopes for generations now.

The wines of Etna are a great heritage and part of our regional identity, on a par with the treasures of our culture, landscape and art. Wine is an ancient cultural legacy and an enormous economic resource that should be safeguarded and valued. Having a strong identity means constructing the foundations for the effective promotion of our production area, our wineries, our wines.

THE REASON BEHIND TENUTA ETNA NORD
Tuscany and Sicily, or Etna, to be precise. Two families united by a shared passion for wine, territory and sustainability have come together to breathe life into a new agricultural venture. The result is Tenuta Etna Nord, which came about when the Cantoni family of Terricciola, which owns Fattoria Fibbiano in the province of Pisa, joined forces with the Di Bella family, who hail from Castiglione di Sicilia and have been custodians of autochthonous vineyards on Etna’s slopes for generations now.

The Etna Vineyard

The Etna Vineyard


NERELLO MASCALESE

This is the king of Etna and the northern side of the volcano is its true kingdom. Among ageless terraces that overlook the sea, amid juniper and volcanic sands, this remote native-variety red was born. Originally from the Mascali plain, from which its name derives, this variety enters the constitution of Etna Rosso DOC by no less than 80%. It yields momentous reds with excellent finesse and elegance.


NERELLO CAPPUCCIO

All the power, passion, and vigour of Etna is contained in this ancient variety, which owes its name to the unusual cloak of leaves that the gobelet-trained vine forms to protect the bunches of grapes from the sun and wind. The variety is experiencing a renaissance, especially on the south-western and southern slopes of the volcano, where it is cultivated between 350 and 900 metres above sea level. The composition of Etna Rosso DOC includes 20% of this grape.


CARRICANTE

This is an ancient white grape variety that has been cultivated on the slopes of the volcano forever, particularly at higher altitudes. Its name is derived from the Sicilian expression “u carricanti”, emphasising the abundant yield of its plants, which can fill the ‘carri’ or wagons with grapes. It produces great whites with fine structure and longevity.

OUR CONTRADE

OUR CONTRADE

There are 133 Contrade or districts on Etna that together form a complex mosaic of terroirs. Each has its own unique traits given by past lava flows, temperature range, soil and exposure. And each contrada stands out as a true Cru in its own right.

The map of the contrade, which form an inverted ‘C’ shape around the volcano, gave us the inspiration for our Etna DOC label.This area, which is termed an ‘island within an island’, has an unusual ecosystem with various soil microclimates mainly found on the northern slope. In Castiglione di Sicilia alone, there are no less than 46 of these contrade. Tenuta Etna Nord is spread across eight of them, at an altitude of 500 to 800 metres. They are subjected to a fairly harsh but not over-humid climate which is influenced by sea currents carried from the Ionian Sea to our terraces via the Alcantara river. These conditions create the best microclimate for ripening Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio and Carricante grapes.

There are 133 Contrade or districts on Etna that together form a complex mosaic of terroirs. Each has its own unique traits given by past lava flows, temperature range, soil and exposure. And each contrada stands out as a true Cru in its own right.

The map of the contrade, which form an inverted ‘C’ shape around the volcano, gave us the inspiration for our Etna DOC label.This area, which is termed an ‘island within an island’, has an unusual ecosystem with various soil microclimates mainly found on the northern slope. In Castiglione di Sicilia alone, there are no less than 46 of these contrade. Tenuta Etna Nord is spread across eight of them, at an altitude of 500 to 800 metres. They are subjected to a fairly harsh but not over-humid climate which is influenced by sea currents carried from the Ionian Sea to our terraces via the Alcantara river. These conditions create the best microclimate for ripening Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio and Carricante grapes.

OUR WINE

OUR WINE

ETNA ROSSO DOC

ETNA ROSATO DOC

ETNA BIANCO DOC

PHOTO GALLERY

PHOTO GALLERY